Cognizance (Lat. cognoscere, to know), knowledge, notice, especially judicial notice, the right of trying or considering a case judicially, the exercise of jurisdiction by a court of law. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

In heraldry a cognizance is an emblem, badge or device, used as a distinguishing mark by the body of retainers of a royal or noble house. This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain. Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ... Supporters contend that the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) represents, in many ways, the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...